


The Deal

by Piper_Halliwell1979



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Almost Kiss, Angst, Arguing, Castiel (Supernatural)'s Loss of Grace, Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Season/Series 15 Speculation, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 17:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20764346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piper_Halliwell1979/pseuds/Piper_Halliwell1979
Summary: Dean finds out about Castiel's deal with The Empty





	The Deal

Castiel never meant for Dean to find out about his deal with the Empty. He thought as long as he lived with the knowledge he would someday mourn his human family, he would never experience that one moment of true happiness. Even patching the rift between himself and Dean didn’t bring him that kind of peace and joy. It was just relief.

“How could you make a deal like that?” Dean ranted and paced. “You gank the Empty and tell it to piss off! We had Jack.”

“No, we didn’t. And it only wanted Jack to make me suffer. In thought it was a...a sucker’s bet. I was hustling,” Cas argued.

“Yeah...you were the sucker. You were just gonna smile one day and disappear? You rode my ass hard about the box and not saying goodbye. You didn’t think I...that me and  _ Sam _ had a right to know?”

Castiel rubbed his temples. “What does it even matter now? The world is ending. You were quick to disown me over Mary’s death...which by the way wasn’t even Jack’s fault. Chuck tricked him so you’d do his dirty work for him then he could leverage her resurrection to see you went through with it.”

“That’s...okay, fine! I was hurt and pissed and I already told you I never should have said it. You said you forgave me for that. We were talking, man. Fixing this. Then I find out you been keeping a whopper of a secret this whole time.”

Castiel threw his hands up. “Well here we are! Get it all out. Tell me how stupid I am. Tell me you can’t even look at me and run off to get drunk or sleep with someone half your age. Do what you’re going to do to get it out of your system because we’ve got bigger problems to deal with!”

“How...dare..you? You think you know me so well? How ‘bout this? I’m not walking away. I’m not boozing and whoring my way through an apocalypse. I’m gonna stand right here so you can tell me why your life means so damn little to you!” Dean was flared up. He stared Castiel down in challenge, not sure if he’d find himself flung back against the wall.

“Tell me why it means so much to you,” the angel countered. His own haunches were up for a fight.

“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, YOU DUMB SONOFABITCH!” Dean blurted out before he could stop himself.

This caused Cas to ease back down a few notches. He squinted his eyes and tilted his head as he often did in contemplation. “You...love me?”

Dean averted his eyes and scratched the back of his neck, his  _ tell _ for when he was uncomfortable. “Yeah, I do. I thought you knew that or  _ sensed _ that. I dunno. Let you play  _ Dora the Explorer _ in my brain a couple times…”

Then it was Cas who looked away. “I thought...you didn’t say it back. You said I was your brother. I never…”

“Now you do. So where does that leave us? Win the last big fight and go run a charming B&B up in Vermont?” Dean smirked.

Of course Dean would make an awkward attempt at humor after such a serious revelation. “I suppose you could try that ‘end of the world’ line on me again.”

Dean’s brow went up. “Uhh...easy there, tiger. Maybe we start with the basics?” He moved in closer to the angel and took his hand. With the other he lifted Castiel’s chin to gaze into his eyes to build up the moment. His eyes fluttered shut as he leaned in…

“Dean!” Castiel screamed and shook him out of it. Dean heard a gasping sound and saw the black fluid build around him.

“CAS! NO!! Not now. I can’t...tell me what to do, Cas” he pleaded. Cas called his angel blade and handed it to him. A silent conversation passed between them and Dean nodded with tears stinging his eyes.

In one quick motion there was a glint of metal then a flow of blue white light from Castiel’s throat. The Entity absorbed it and melted away. It got the grace it came for, but not the fragment of human soul left inside Cas. Dean shucked off his flannel to put pressure on the wound that wouldn’t heal itself. At least it was shallow enough to not be fatal nor require stitches. Dean eased them to the floor as the shock set in.

“I’m so sorry, Cas. I couldn’t lose you again.”

“At least...I won’t...outlive you long...as a...human,” Cas rasped. 

“Well...just don’t do anything else stupid.”

“Sure, you...either.” Cas attempted a smile.

“We’ll call it a ‘work in progress’.”

“Deal.”


End file.
